Pelicans Can Take Advantage of Warriors’ Desperation in a Trey Murphy Trade

The New Orleans Pelicans have stood firm on their unwillingness to lower their asking price for Trey Murphy all season. Even though they have been more willing than ever to listen to trade offers for their 26-year-old sharpshooter, the Pelicans have been clear about their demands.

So far, no team has budged. Now that almost a month has passed since the start of free agency, however, the Pelicans may finally get a team to bite.

The most likely team to meet the Pelicans' asking price is the Golden State Warriors.

Warriors Might Finally Feel Desperate Enough to Meet the Pels' Asking Price for Murphy

The Warriors have yet to make any additions to the roster other than their lottery pick, Yaxel Lendeborg. Not only that, but they have also missed out on every big name that they have gone after.

Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown, and Giannis Antetokounmpo all found new homes as the Warriors consistently struck out in trade negotiations. They were aggressive in their pursuit of LeBron James in free agency, which led nowhere. They even missed out on Mario Hezonja, who chose to sign with the Cavaliers instead.

This has put the Warriors in a very difficult situation. Steph Curry is 38 years old. Draymond Green is still unsigned, but he is expected to return to Golden State, and he is 36 years old. Jimmy Butler is in the midst of his rehab from an ACL tear and will have turned 37 years old by the time he is on the court again.

The Warriors have to do right by Curry at the dawn of his career. This means that they have to build a roster that can at least compete for a playoff spot.

Right now, the best player they could realistically trade for might be Trey Murphy. In fact, according to ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel, the Warriors already made an offer built around two first-round picks for Murphy. The Pelicans reiterated their asking price of three first-round picks and a good young player.

The Warriors can trade up to four first-round picks: 2027, 2029, 2031, and 2033. They also have Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, and Lendeborg as solid young players. If they are willing to include three of these picks and one of these young players, they should be able to convince the Pels to part ways with Murphy.

Desperation can lead teams to overpay. The Pelicans would be wise to continue to be patient and let the Warriors come to them.

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